Desperate Times
by Jezunya
Summary: Desperate to save his friends, Aang mistakenly locks them all into an iceburg just like he once was. They next emerge to a world that is older and very different from the one they left behind. [Set after the Blue Spirit episode]


Disclaimer: I wish I owned _Avatar_… Then I would be able to watch all the episodes whenever I wanted… /sigh/

A/N: Oh dear… Well, I'm not new to the fanfiction scene, but this is my first _Avatar_ fic. I've been hooked on the series pretty much since it came out, and my sister Jaqq just recently got me reading _Avatar_ fanfiction as well. So… Naturally, I soon had some ideas of my own for fics… This is actually my second idea, but the other one is going to take quite a bit more work, so shh! I'm saving it for later! ;)

Anyway, if any of my usual readers are checking this out, I _am_ still working on 'Forget Me Nots' and I _am_ still an avid _Inuyasha_ fan. …This just popped into my head and wouldn't go away o.o;

**"Desperate Times"  
by Jezunya**

**Chapter 1 - Ice**

Prince Zuko let out a muttered curse in the old Fire language as he pounded his way across the iron deck of his uncle's ship, one hand shielding his eyes from the stinging rain coming down on them. The ship pitched and rolled under his feet, the steel becoming slippery with the ocean spray. It was times like this that he could almost forget that he was a prince banished from his own kingdom, and that his own father was the one who had sent him away. He almost felt like he was just one of the sailors on his uncle's ship as they all moved as one to try to weld the ship back together as the storm steadily ripped it apart. He could almost become one of them - work alongside them, share the fear of the ocean and its rage that was secretly hidden in all firebenders' hearts, exchange proud glances when they were able to get a job done, and get it done right. In the heat of battle or the icy clutches of disaster, he could almost let himself be just another soldier, just another sailor…

Almost.

The men stood away from him even as they all pitched in with their firebending skills to meld the iron of the ship back into its proper form. Few of them respected him; most simply resented him. But no matter how they felt about him, he was not one of them, and so could not be scorned as such. His presence alone, as the son of the great Fire Lord, was enough to command respect, despite being banished and stripped of his honor. Somehow, even through their distaste and resentment, the idea of being in the presence of royalty was enough to keep the sailors at a safe - if not respectful - distance.

His head whipped around as he heard his name being called, his drenched hair slapping against one side of his face. Squinting, he could make out his uncle's form running across the deck toward him, his arms waving in an attempt to get his attention.

"Prince Zuko! Come quickly! We've spotted the Avatar!"

A thrill ran through him at his uncle's words. The Avatar was here.

No, he was not just another sailor. He was not just another firebender. He was Prince Zuko, son of the great Fire Lord Ozai, heir to the throne of the most powerful kingdom in the world. And he'd just found the key to solving all his problems.

"Where, uncle? Where is he!" he called, leaving the sailors to their welding to dash across the slick deck to his uncle.

"Off the starboard side," Iroh panted, slowing to steady himself on the rocking deck, "to the east."

"Turn the ship around! We have to catch him. He'll be slowed down by the storm-"

"_We're_ being slowed down by the storm, Prince Zuko," Iroh said, then shook his head and added, "We've already turned in the direction that the Avatar was seen flying. But with the ship in this condition-"

"I don't care about the ship!" Zuko cut him off, belying his earlier hard work in repairing it. "We have to catch him. I have to-"

He was cut off as his uncle's eyes suddenly widened and, in an uncharacteristically forward move, he grabbed his nephew's arm to pull him out of the way. But too late - the huge wave crashed down on the deck, sweeping them both away to the side.

Zuko felt his uncle's hand clawing in his sleeve for a moment before the water tore them apart. He went spinning away, and he wasn't even sure if he was still on the ship until he collided painfully with a hard metal rod - the ship's railing, he realized. It scraped across his back, catching his elbow in a strange, numbing sort of blow, and then it was gone.

There were a few moments of crushing, icy darkness, and then he was emerging back into the stormy air, the water receding away from around his face, allowing him to breathe again.

"Man overboard! Man overboard!" he heard someone shouting.

He grimaced to himself, his eyes squinting against the sting of the salty sea water. There was always someone hurt, someone getting washed overboard, someone who needed saving…

It wasn't until the next wave crashed down on top of him, driving him back into the dark, crushing depths of the ocean, that he realized it was him.

888

If the storm was fierce on the water, it was ferocious in the air. The wind howled around them, tossing the flying bison further off course with each angry gale. Aang tried to wipe the icy rain from his eyes while still keeping a hold on Appa's reins, trying to help guide the great beast as best he could. Behind him, he heard Katara and Sokka yelling something over the raging storm, but the wind carried their voices away before the words could reach him fully.

He glanced back at his friends, wondering what they were trying to tell him, and was not comforted to find them clinging to Appa's saddle for dear life and both staring ahead with mixed horror and wonder.

Seeing his look, Katara pointed ahead and tried calling to him again. Even with only a few feet between them, he was only able to catch snatches of her words. "-Aang! -ship! Over th-!"

He looked forward to where she was pointing, but not before seeing Sokka shake his head. "It- Fi- -ation!"

_Fi-ation?_ Aang thought, squinting through the stinging rain. And then, he saw it - a dark mass against the darker form of the raging sea. A ship, just like Katara had said.

A steel ship. Just like Sokka had said.

Not 'fi-ation.' Fire Nation.

Aang tugged on Appa's reins, trying to turn the great bison around, but to no avail - Appa had seen the ship too, and was already intently hurtling toward the closest thing to shelter he could find. Appa gave a groan, putting on a new burst of speed in his desperation to get out of the storm and ignoring his rider's orders.

He could hear Sokka yelling behind him and Katara yelling at Sokka. Then, suddenly, they both went quiet. A moment later, Katara screamed.

"Aang! Look out! There's a wave-!"

He looked over his shoulder just in time to see the huge wave come crashing down on them, sending them all tumbling into the dark abyss of the ocean.

888

The darkness was cold, pressing in all around him, driving him downward. For one moment, Zuko caught sight of the moon, shimmering and distorted by the water above him, but then it was gone, and he was sent spinning away through the crushing waves again.

He could feel himself sinking. It was because of his armor weighing him down, he knew, but his efforts to remove it were sluggish and his hands were turning numb in the icy water. His fingers eventually fell away from the clasps in his armor, useless, and he watched, thinking vaguely, _That can't be good_, as air bubbles floated slowly up and away from where they were escaping from his mouth.

His eyes were just beginning to droop closed, his head hanging limply, lolling in the water currents, when something huge and solid crashed down on top of him.

He was swept aside, the impact of the thing crashing through the water sending him spinning head over heels along side it as it passed. He would have let it continue on by, but something brushed against his face, awakening him from his water-induced lethargy.

Fur. And there it was again, brushing against him as it passed. Slowly, feeling as though he were watching someone else's movements from far away, he reached out a hand and grabbed hold of the cream-colored fur just as the tail of the great beast passed him. He was dragged along with it, the movement jarring him awake enough to be able to get a good hold on the fur with both hands and stay there, clinging like a desperate, pathetic little parasite.

He raised his head, looking up past the furred beast to which he clung, as a bright light was suddenly ignited somewhere near the beast's head - brighter than the moonlight, perhaps as bright as the sun, but pale, otherworldly. The light grew, becoming so bright that he had to look away, hiding his face in the fur beneath him. Then, with one last bright pulse of light, everything changed.

The water froze around him.

8-888-8

Yay, finally done with the first chapter! n..n

Erm.. It should be pretty obvious what just happened if you've been watching the show, but if you're confused, don't worry, everything will be explained in coming chapters. Oh, and this takes place after 'The Blue Spirit' episode, if anyone's wondering, but that, too, will be made more clear in coming chapters. n..n

Hope you liked! Review please! n..n


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